


Hit Me With Your Best Shot

by SearchingWolf



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Medical Trauma, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 13:43:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11105751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SearchingWolf/pseuds/SearchingWolf
Summary: A routine mission to take down the blood pack takes a very dangerous turn, and Thane helps her recover.





	Hit Me With Your Best Shot

_She watched in horror and slow motion as the shuttle finally slammed shut and shot off. At least he would make it, she saved him._

_A rippled explosion threw her body through the air and she slammed against some debris before hurtling out into space. She felt dizzy and nauseous as she spun over and over, and suddenly there wasn’t enough air. Her lungs sucked and sucked, but it felt like there was nothing to breath in. She gasped, her lungs and body convulsing as her hands scrabbled at her throat, her suit. Agony wracked her body as her eyesight started to fade, her body fighting against her._

_“I’m dying, I’m dyi-“_

_***_

Marian Shepard flung upright with a loud yell, kicking and flailing, her world spinning until she came crashing down onto the floor. She lay there for a few moments, panting heavily and shaking, covered in sweat and completely tangled in her sheets and blanket. She closed her eyes and thunked her head against the hard floor, pushing her hair out of her face with her hand.

 _No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to escape it..._ she thought to herself, and the familiar feeling of pain and guilt settled deep into her chest. Shepard slowly gatherd herself up off the floor, fighting to untangle herself from the mess of her bedding before throwing it all messily back upon the bed. She raked her long, auburn hair with her fingers as she walked across the room towards the shower. Her quarters were mostly empty save for the miscellaneous model ships, medals, two or three exotic plants she had managed to keep alive, and a small box lock box that contained something very special to Shepard that she never let anyone see. Huttser, her little space hamster, poked his head out of his small box from his cage and Shepard gave the glass an affectionate tap.

"How we doing, Hutt?" she asked, watching him meander around towards his food dish. "Probably better than me, right? I doubt you have that many skeletons in your closet."

Shepard stepped into the bathroom, stripping her shorts and tank top and cranked the hot water on for her shower. She stood for quite a while, letting the almost scalding water run down her back, trying to work out the knots and tightness. Although she knew it wouldn't, part of her hoped that maybe, if she could just get the water hot enough, it would burn way the intense pain and guilt she always kept hidden away. A foolish notion, but it didn't stop Shepard from trying.

When she was done and dressed, finishing braiding her hair and wrapping it into a bun on her head, Edi's voice echoed in her room.

"Shepard, we have arrived at our destination," she said, and Shepard gave a small nod to herself.

"Good, thanks Edi. Have Thane and Mordin meet me in the Shuttle Bay," Shepard said, shoving her feet into her boots and tucking any loose strands of hair back into place.

"Of course, Shepard," Edi replied.

Shepard took a deep breath and stood staring at her reflection in the empty fish tank; She had always had problems keeping the fish alive. Her hazel eyes reflected back at her, dancing in the water, and she tried to banish the guilt and memory of the dream from her mind. Shepard needed to be focused on the mission, not on ghosts that would not stay buried, and she shook herself as she headed for the elevator.

**

Shepard bounced lightly on the balls of her feet as her, Thane, and Mordin were flown down to the deserted Blood Pack hide out. They had received a tip from someone in the Alliance that this was where one of the more notorious groups had been stationed and they were going in to wipe them out. Over the past few months the Blood Pack had gotten especially vicious in their raids, and a lot of innocent people from various systems had been hurt and even killed.

As the drop ship shook through the turbulent atmosphere, Shepard plopped down next to Thane.

"You guys ready for some action?" Shepard asked with a small grin. Many questioned why she chose Mordin and Thane for a lot of her missions, but they couldn't argue with the results of the trio. Shepard's biotics, Mordin's tech and first aid skills, and Thane's assassin skills worked better together than anyone could have imagined. Shepard had also grown quite attached to the quirky scientist, and though she wouldn't admit it, she had also grown a soft spot for the quiet, methodical assassin. After helping him save his son, they had spent a lot of time together in life support just talking.

"Will be lots of action. Blood pack known for their explosives and heavy ammunition. Will need to be careful, but shouldn't be too difficult. Not their main base of operations, of course," Mordin rattled off and Shepard nodded as she leaned back against the wall. She glanced over at Thane and realized that he was staring at her with those deep, calculating eyes of his. After a moment of silence, Mordin busy tapping away on his omni-tool, Shepard had to look away from his intense gaze.

"Is everything all right, Shepard? You look very tired," Thane asked in his soft, humming voice. The image of the little girl from her dream flashed in her mind and for just an instant Shepard tensed. Just as quickly as it had come, the image passed and Shepard shook her head as she stood up. She knew that her moment of stress wouldn't have gone unnoticed by the attentive assassin, but Shepard slapped a small smile on her face to cover the haunting memory.

"Thank you, Thane, but I am doing just fine," Shepard responded just as they touched down. Before Thane had a chance to delve any deeper, the door opened and Shepard grabbed her gun and hopped out. Mordin and Thane quickly followed and they moved to cover as the drop ship flew away. They had touched down in a small clearing surrounded by tall walls of rock on either side. The base was built into the rocks of this hot, jungle planet, so there was plenty of shrubbery to use for cover. The air was quiet as they moved silently forward, making their way to take out the notorious gang of killers.

***

Shepard let out a small curse as she ducked down behind a box, shots zinging by on top and around her. They had been able to move through the mercenaries without incident until they came to the last area where they had been holed up. Now Shepard and her crew were almost outnumbered, pinned down by heavy fire. Shepard glanced at Thane and signaled him; he nodded and began looping around to her left, dodging in between cover as he used his sniper rifle to pick off the less careful of the blood pack members. Shepard had to admire how calm he was even in a situation where they were in more danger than they had thought they would be from the beginning. The dark green on his head glistened in the mottled light, and his eyes were slightly squinted in concentration.

Shepard signaled Mordin to start circling around to the other side of her and he gave her a brief clap on the shoulder before he used his incineration to knock some of the blood pack down as he dove between cover. Shepard took a deep breath as she waited for them to get into position. What she was about to do was reckless and they all knew it, but in this situation it might be the only chance they had to get the upper hand on this group. She glanced over at Mordin, gave him a nod, and then glanced at Thane. A small, grim smile crept onto her face and Thane nodded as well. Shepard let out her breath and, her eyes beginning to glow a soft blue, she launched herself up and over her cover. She let out a small war cry as she flung her hands out, letting her biotics rage forth in front of her. Two humans, a vorcha, and a batarian screamed in agony as they were thrown up into the air, and then cut short as they were slammed back into the ground with excessive force.

 Shepard heard shots whistle by her ear as she turned her attention to a large Krogan charging at her. From the corner of her eyes she could see Mordin and Thane dropping men left and right in the confusion, but the upcoming Krogan took priority. Shepard grunted in effort as she forced her biotics out, slamming into the Krogan. It made him slow down, but being a krogan and a tank of one at that, he just kept coming. Shepard rolled to the side to get out of his path and let forth another burst of biotic energy that flung the Krogan up and over the side of a small drop that they had climbed up to get to the area; she heard him cry out in pain and finally went silent. Shepard waited for a moment to see if the Krogan was still alive and if he would get back up, but when he didn't she turned around to help Thane and Mordin. Happily, the two had just finished off the last Blood Pack man as she jogged over to them. They stood panting for a moment as they looked at the carnage around them; Shepard touched a hand to her forhead and then lifted it to the sky in a silent prayer for the damned souls that they had just dispatched before she gave Thane and Mordin a triumphant smirk.

"Well, I think that turned out better than expected!" Shepard laughed, clapping Mordin on the back and nudging Thane with her shoulder. She could see Thane giving her the worry look, but she didn't meet his gaze. She knew that what she had down was reckless, but sometimes she couldn't help herself. Besides, no one had been hurt, so she refused to let herself feel bad for making him worry. "Let's spread out and see whatever ammo and junk they have. You never know, it might come in handy."

The three of them spread out, checking pockets and guns on the dead bodies that were spread around.  She could hear Mordin muttering as he picked through things that he thought would be useful and the occasional response from Thane. Shepard was standing up and smoothing some loose strands of hair as she turned a pistol over in her hand when she heard something behind her. Her eyes came up to meet Mordin's eyes just as his eyes snapped up towards whatever was behind her. It suddenly felt as though everything was moving in slow motion, and Shepard felt a chill run down her back as she saw Mordin's eyes widen in horror and Thane's gun come up.

"Shepard!!"

She watched Thane's mouth move, heard his cry of warning, just about the same time as she heard a gunshot go off behind her. She felt an heavy impact in her right side and looked down to see a blood stain beginning to spread in the small part of her suit that wasn't covered in armor. At first she didn't understand what had happened, why there were two more gunshots, why Thane shot past her, and why Mordin was suddenly at her side.

Then the pain hit her; it began as a small, piercing pain that began to grow into an intense burning pain. The impact of what had just happened slammed into her and time seemed to jerk forward suddenly. Shepard let out a small yelp of agony as the pain burned and rippled through her, her hands clamping onto her side as she began to drop to her knees. The burning wouldn't stop, wouldn't cease, and it began to feel as if she was on fire, going to burn to death. Her vision blurred and she felt herself falling when strong, firm hands circled around her waist to keep her from hitting the ground. Shepard let out another cry as her hands were pried away from the wound at her side, and she had to control herself from fighting against the two that were trying to help her. The burning pain was eating away at her and every second was worse than the one before.

"Shepard! Are you all right!?" Thane asked, his anxious eyes looking down into Shepard's. She felt his cool hands brush against her forehead and cheeks, sweeping hair out of her face.

"I-I'm not sure.....Something is burning!" Shepard growled between gritted teeth, her back arching in pain and she felt strong hands pushing her back down to the ground.

"Must keep her still, Thane," she heard Mordin's authoritative voice and she could hear just a hint of stress. "Blood pack must be using inferno-rounds. Must get it out of her."

"I've called for pick up. We should to get her back to the Normandy's med bay," Thane asked, pushing buttons on his omni-tool before pinning Shepard's arms to the ground as Shepard's body tried to curl into a ball.

"Can't wait that long...must get the rounds out now, or they may cause too much damage," Mordin stated and motioned for Thane to keep Shepard down. Shepard could hear them talking and immediately tried to sit up.

"No wait, it's not that bad," Shepard gasped, attempting a smile that turned into a grimace as pain burned through her abdomen. "It was probably just something I ate, no harm done!"

"Please hold still, Shepard," Mordin replied and Shepard felt herself forced back onto the ground. "Brace yourself...this will hurt."

Mordin gave her a small shot of something to help the pain, but she knew that it wasn't going to help much in this situation. As she felt sharp, cold utinsels delve into her wound, Shepard let out a shattering scream of pain and couldn't help from trying to fight against them. She tried bucking and pulling her arms free but Thane had put her arms under his knees and pushed his hands against her upper rib cage to keep her from bucking. Shepard cried and yelled for them to please wait, to let her sit for just a minute, as Mordin dug and searched for the bullet that was quickly burning its way through Shepard's side. For a moment Shepard's vision blacked out and all she could do was lay there panting and twitching in pain. She began to realize that Thane was muttering soft, soothing words to her, his face pressed close to hers. She looked up into his eyes, focusing on them as Mordin continued digging, tears of pain leaking out of her eyes. Thane gave her an encouraging smile and a deep humming began in his throat. Shepard found it strangely comforting, the different tones and the rhythm of his humming. It reminded her of crickets and cicada's singing in the night.

 "Everything will be fine, Siha," Thane spoke softly and Shepard took a shuddering breathe, some part of her recognizing the word he called her that she didn't know. Another round of pain rippled through her body and she heard Mordin mutter something, Thane's tense response, before darkness reached up to envelop her.

***

Shepard came to groggily and found herself laying on a soft surface. She stared at the ceiling for a while, letting her thoughts catch up with themselves. Her hand instinctively went to her side and she pulled up her shirt to feel a soft, cool bandage covering her wound.

"Well, thank goodness you've finally come around." Doctor Chakwas commented and Shepard slowly and carefully sat up. "Easy, now. We've stitched your wound up the best we could, but it will take a little while to fully heal."

"Hey Doc. How long have I been out?" Shepard asked, looking up at the friendly doctor as she examined her eyes, her reflexes.

"Close to a full day," Chakwas responded. "Mordin did as much as he could at first, but unfortunately the Krogan that shot you was using a homemade concoction of inferno-rounds in a shotgun shell . We had a hard time getting all of the pellets out of your body before they could do massive damage, but I do believe we got them all."

Shepard took a deep breath and swung her legs over the hospital bed. Looking around she wasn't surprised to see that she was in the med bay on the closest bed to Dr. Chakwas' desk. The evidence of her wound was nowhere to be found, save for the bandage on her side.

"Mordin does very good work, he helped me stitch you up. I've prescribed something that will keep infection out, so you'll need to take these every day twice a day for three days. You never know what kinds of things those filthy gang's could have transmitted when they were packing their ammunition," Chakwas explained as she stepped back over to her desk, writing something on a piece of paper and grabbing a small pill bottle. "If you want, I'll also give you something to help with the pain."

"No, that's ok. You know how I get when I take painkillers. Ugh, I hate the Blood Pack," Shepard grumbled, lightly hopping down onto the ground. Her mind swayed groggily and she felt just a small ping of pain through her side. She felt herself stumble slightly and suddenly there were strong, gentle arms steadying her. Shepard started slightly as she looked up into the deep, intense eyes of Thane, concern just barely playing across his face.

"Thane here hasn't left your side since we got done with you," Chakwas explained, digging in her desk. For an instant Shepard thought that she caught a hint of amusement in Chakwas' voice, but her attention was brought back to Thane.

"Your injuries were severe when we left the planet," Thane's voice purred, and Shepard couldn't help but notice that she was only wearing a tank top and shorts. She tried her hardest to hide the blush she could feel trying to creep up onto her cheeks. "I wanted to make sure that you would pull through."

Shepard sucked in some air as she stared deep into Thane's eyes, and it took a minute before Chakwas finally cleared her throat to bring Shepard back down to earth. Thane let go of her and Shepard gave Thane a playful grin to hide her embarrassment.

"I was just keeping everyone on their toes! Gotta give Mordin and Dr. Chakwas here a good scare every now and then," Shepard joked, giving Thane a wink as Chakwas snorted. "Can't let them get soft since all our crew members are so good at not getting injured."

"I wish a certain Commander of ours would stop scaring us quite so often," Chakwas chided and Shepard couldn't help but put her chin up with a big smile.

"Aw you worry too much. I've got my faithful Drell here to avenge me when things take a turn for the worst!" Shepard laughed, and she could see the corners of Thane's mouth twitch just barely.

"So am I free? Do I have the doc's seal of approval?" Shepard asked, taking a couple of steps to test herself. She could still feel the twinge in her side when she put weight on her right foot, but it was bearable. She knew that it would lessen in a few days to where she could begin going out on missions again. Shepard hated being confined by weakness and wounds, and she truly hated having to take painkillers. They always made her more fuzzy and out of it than she preferred to be.

"Well, if you can promise you'll take it easy for the next few days, I suppose I can let you go back to your quarters. But I want to see you back down here tomorrow about the same time so I can check up on that wound," Chakwas said, stepping over to Shepard. "Don't forget to take these antibiotics. Thane, could you possibly help Commander Shepard to her quarters? Make sure she doesn't exert herself."

Thane inclined his head towards Chakwas. "It would be my pleasure, Doctor Chakwas." Thane responded and Shepard gave Thane a thankful smile as she limped out the door.

"Thanks Doc!" Shepard waved, but just as Thane went to follow Chakwas caught his arm. Thane straightened as he looked over at her.

"Thane, if you could possibly get her to agree to take these painkillers," Chakwas said in a hushed tone as she dropped a pill bottle into his hand. "She needs some sleep and I know that wound is going to be hurting her quite a bit. She'll put up a fight, but I think you can persuade her."

Thane looked at Chakwas speculatively for a moment before he cautiously replied, "What makes you think she will listen to me?"

Chakwas gave him a small smile and there was a twinkle in her eye as she gave his scaled hand a pat. "It's not that hard to see that she is becoming quite fond of you. I think you'll do just find at persuading her."

Thane watched her for a minute more, his eyes guarded, before he gave her a small nod and followed Shepard out of the room, who was already in an animated discussion with Garrus about how the last mission went at the table in the dining quarters. 

"Siha..." he said softly as he put his hand on her arm. She gave him a knowing look before wishing Garrus a good night and allowed Thane to steer her to the elevator. It was a quiet ride as they rode up to her quarters, and the air seemed abnormally tense as they both went in.

Before Shepard could make it much further into her room, Thane pulled her around to face him, taking her face in his arms. He stared into her eyes for a moment before resting his forehead against hers, and she closed her eyes as she breathed him in.

"You had me almost scared for you, Siha..." Thane whispered, and Shepard let out a breath.

"I'm sorry, Thane. I don't try to get in trouble I swear!" She replied, and a chuckle rippled through Thane's body. "I'll try to be more careful, I promise.

"Good," Thane murmured. They stayed like that for quite a while, just enjoying each other. Finally Thane broke away from her and steered her towards her bed. "You need rest."

Shepard grumbled in agreement as she looked down at her bandage, a hand resting against it as she could feel the throbbing start. She sat on the edge of her bed as Thane came back from the bathroom with a glass of water, and he dropped two pills into her hand. She looked up in surprise to see him holding the bottle of pain killers, and her eyes narrowed.

"Thane...You know how I feel about pills," she complained, but he sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I know, Siha. And you are a strong, resilient woman. But you need rest, and these will help you sleep without pain." With his free hand, her grabbed her chin and turned her face to his. Her face flushed and her heart raced as Thane softly pressed his lips to hers. After too short a time, he broke away, and she gave a sigh as she popped the pills in her mouth and chased them down with the water. Thane took the glass and stood up to place it on the table as Shepard crawled up to the top of the bed. Thane laid down next to her and she cuddled up into his side, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder. As she lay listening to his breathing, the tole of the long day plus the effects of the medicine took in and before long her eyes drifted closed. The last thing she remembered was his hand brushing against her hair, and his soft voice murmuring the promise that he would always protect her.


End file.
